


Even If It Takes Me All Night

by microphonechecker



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crush at First Sight, Drinking & Talking, First Dates, M/M, Walks On The Beach, yeah really that cliche
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-11-30 11:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11462739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/microphonechecker/pseuds/microphonechecker
Summary: A Tinder date gone wrong. Except it worked out just fine.





	Even If It Takes Me All Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!
> 
> I had this idea ages ago, the original pairing wasn't even supposed to be Markbum but somehow these two inspired me enough that I toyed around with it and finally finished it.  
> Hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> Title from You Can't Look Back by Taking Back Sunday

Jaebum Im is a very emotional drunk.

See, he knows this about himself, knows it even as he is downing his fifth tequila shot of the night. The thing is...the thing is he _knows_ how he gets. Knows that it’s only a matter of time before he starts prattling on about his failed past relationships and how his parents’ perfect marriage affected his life and expectations, knows it will probably only take a few more drinks before he is spilling his guts to some poor innocent stranger who is just trying to have a good time.

He cares too much, is the problem, cares too much about the people in his life and also about the people he doesn't know, wants to save the world and hear everyone’s problems and _help_. Somehow. With tequila.

He watches Jinyoung smile from across the room as he makes his way toward his best friend, legs ignoring his orders and sending him stumbling into a table and at least one innocent bystander as he passes. He smiles at a few of them, remembers some from some point in the night when they’d had a huge table full of college students and a couple young tourists from the hostel across the street.

The last person he sees before making it over to Jinyoung across the bar is the cute Canadian he’d been chatting up earlier, and he forces his legs to change direction, rerouting to the general direction of the billiards table in the corner where he stops just long enough to give the guy a flirty smile and touch his hair a bit, laughing as he fixes his fringe. The Canadian just smiles, though, keeping his attention fixed on whoever he is talking with now, and Jaebum brushes it off, continuing on towards Jinyoung.

“Having a good night, JB?” Jinyoung asks, giving him an unsteady one-armed hug.

When he is standing like this, resting his chin on Jinyoung’s left shoulder and feeling just a bit tired, he can't help noticing that Jinyoung smells amazing. He mumbles something that sounds vaguely like a response but...maybe it comes out as more of a grunt. Whatever.

“I figured you’d’ve gone home with one of the tourists,” Jinyoung continues, apparently having given up on receiving a proper answer. “What, did you scare them all off with your deep and soulful conversation?”

“I don’t scare people,” Jaebum says, pouting for a second even as he is unable to control the tiny laugh that escapes his lips. “Maybe he just thought I had daddy issues.”

“I think that counts as scaring him off,” Jinyoung says, shaking his head and touching Jaebum’s shoulder lightly. “And I’m not having any of that tonight either. We’ve both struck out. Let’s just get out of here.”

Jinyoung drains the rest of his beer in one go, planting the glass back on the table and calling a few goodbyes to their friends before pushing himself back and dragging Jaebum outside with him by their joined hands.

Their apartment is just a few blocks away from the pub, and seeing the weather isn’t too bad yet, they decide to walk. They don’t talk much, even though Jaebum keeps opening and closing his mouth, red lips almost a constant pout and his expression thoughtful.

“I hope I didn’t stop you from going home with anyone tonight, Jinyoungie” He whispers as they make their way up the building stairs slowly, having learned long ago that drunken rushes are not the smartest idea.

“Of course not” As they reach their door, Jinyoung fumbles with his keys for a while before getting it right, while Jaebum rests his head on the wall, waiting. “You’re such a considerate best friend, even when you’re wasted” he completes, making Jaebum chuckle.

“’m not wasted” he murmurs and shifts his weight into Jinyoung’s direction, making him wrap his arms around Jaebum’s waist. Jinyoung kicks the door shut with his left foot and walks inside, leading Jaebum straight to his room. He throws himself in bed, face first, without so much as taking off his clothes, and takes a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the cool fabric of his pillowcase on his face.

“Make sure to open your jeans and take your shoes off at least, Jaebum” He hears Jinyoung’s impatient voice as he stalks down the hallway, and laughs, mumbling an agreement before flicking the lights off.

Jaebum, after doing what he is told and even managing to take his jeans off too, starts feeling a lot more conscious of his drunkenness now that his surroundings are considerably calmer, silent and darker. He laughs with himself, thinking about the nice night he had before falling asleep in the middle of his bed, clutching a pillow with the little strength his tired body still has.

...

It’s a little past 9 a.m when Jaebum wakes up with an agitated Jinyoung jumping on his bed, repeating his name until his eyes are open and focused, even if his brain is still confused by his surroundings and the sudden rush of information thrown at him.

Nora moves away from them when the bed starts moving too much for her comfort, Jinyoung giggling at the cat when it meows loudly in complaint. Jaebum observes it getting up and leaving the bed and subsequently the room, while throwing something that he is sure could be counted as a dirty look at both of them.

“You’ve got a date? Walk me through this again” he breathes, now sitting and bringing his knees closer to his body, holding both in place with one arm “Slower now”

“Yes, Jaebum. A date. That thing people usually do when they want to fall in love and have sex.”

“I know what a date is, Jinyoung. And you got the order wrong there” Jaebum smirks, a bit more awake now as he watches Jinyoung’s face twist in a mix of emotions

“Don’t be a smart ass, no one likes those”

“You love me, but do go on with your date. Who’s the lucky one?” He watches his friend’s expression change, a shy smile taking over Jinyoung’s face and making his eyes crinkle a little, as he always does when he is the happiest for something small and silly like a compliment or something he got right.

“His name is Mark, matched him on Tinder a couple of nights ago” Jinyoung says with a lip bite “He is fun, pretty hot as well. Not my usual type, but he has something”

“Something” Jaebum repeats, nodding in approval

“Some kind of mystery, he is very quiet and doesn’t let on a lot. It could be fun”

Jaebum’s stomach growls making both men laugh, as Jaebum suggests they take the conversation to the kitchen where he could make them breakfast and get his day started. Jinyoung is still going on about his mystery boy by the time they are both eating their grilled cheese sandwiches and had a cup of coffee each.

Apparently, Mark is studied music and is currently working in a record company. He likes to skate during his free time and spend time with his nieces, which makes Jinyoung’s eyes shine brightly as a known children’s lover. All in, Jaebum is sure they are about to go on a crazy ride with this Mark person, who seems to have sparked something exciting in Jinyoung after a long, long time.

“Now, the catch is” Jinyoung starts, as they finish eating and he is silent for about a minute

“Is there a catch? I missed the part where there is a catch.”

“The catch is” he continues, ignoring Jaebum’s witty remark. “He has a friend he wants to come with us and I would need to bring one too. Both for safety reasons and to avoid getting awkward, so if nothing works out with us, we can still hang out as a group.”

“That’s definitely a catch, but you know I’d do anything for you, Jinyoungie.” both smiled really big, one of Jaebum’s hands reaching across the table to touch Jinyoung’s arms “Bring on the hot friend.”

“Who says he’s hot?”

The expression on Jaebum’s face is enough to make Jinyoung bark a loud laugh, almost sending his plate flying out of the table when he moves his arms recklessly. He shakes his head, smiling a little at how childish Jaebum looked now that he knew he is being played with.

“He is hot, only the best for you.” Jaebum bites a snarky comment, nodding with narrow eyes and allowing Jinyoung to finish talking before expressing his opinions “His name is Minhyuk, and I know you don't date blondes, but he is a cute yoga instructor, I'm sure you can put that to use.”

“Oh!” His eyes light up for a second, imagining a figure to match said name. “Yoga, I can do that. So when are we meeting those two lovely creatures?”

Jinyoung is already up, taking the dishes to the sink before heading back to the living room. Jaebum follows him shortly after, still waiting for his answer, but only to find Jinyoung already in the hallway headed to his bedroom.

“Tonight” He hears Jinyoung say, right before the bedroom door snaps shut with a giggle and Jaebum could even move further into the apartment to get a proper answer.

...

“Remind me again why I’m doing this?” Jaebum asks as he hops from leg to leg, dragging his jeans up his thighs. “Aren’t dates supposed to like, not involve your friends or something?”

“Because I met him on tinder and I don’t want to get axe murdered or worse,” Jinyoung says, holding up two shirts for Jaebum to choose from. Jaebum pointed at one silently, and Jinyoung picks the other on purpose with a huge smile. “What if he drugs me?”

“He’s not going to drug you,” Jaebum says flatly, rolling his eyes as he finally manages   to get his jeans on. “And if he does, it’ll be the both of us getting drunkenly axe murdered, so cheers to that. Why are you even going if you think he’s going to murder you?”

“Because he’s funny,” Jinyoung says. “He’s funny and he’s nice and… Well, he’s actually kind of a dick, but in a funny nice way.”

“Wow, sounds like a keeper,” Jaebum says, and maybe it comes out more sarcastic than he meant for it to, but whatever. He is the one getting dragged on this date.

“He’s bringing a friend,” Jinyoung told him then, offering Jaebum a small smile as if that is any consolation. “So you won’t be like, the awkward third wheel or whatever if we hit it off.”

“Great. More people to axe murder us,” Jaebum says, but he laughs anyway.

...

Jaebum and Jinyoung walk inside the bar the Mark guy had picked a few minutes past eight, the traffic in West Hollywood being unbearable as usual. They don't see anyone waiting at the door, so after bickering about whether they should text or just go inside, they find themselves being sent outside by an overly nice hostess who informs them _Mr Tuan_ is on the patio.

The outside of the bar looks like a whole new world, compared to the inside where people are sitting down in a tastefully decorated room, actually dining and the wall behind the bar is complete by a vast wine collection. They spot a DJ booth in the corner of the deck, and the illumination isn't at all that bright, giving it a more relaxed vibe for the informal, and yet trendy dressed customers who walk around with different types of glasses, some for wine, some for beer.

“I kinda wanna sit there and just stare at the view,” Jinyoung says, his head turned to a large bench that hosts a few people, overlooking the city underneath them.

While still looking around, Jaebum spots the somewhat familiar, blond man leaning on the bar, laughing at something a nearly identical blonde is saying, both holding what looked like beer in their hands.

“Think your date is there, so you can invite him to stare at the view with you,” he jokes and Jinyoung hits his arm, telling him to shut up.

It seems like they are also noticed by the other two, who smile at their general direction and then whisper something at each other, before moving.

“Quick, which one is Mark?” Jinyoung asks, half of his body freezing while his hands instinctively grab Jaebum’s arm.

“I saw the same pictures as you did, and honestly? They both look like Mark to me,” he replies, holding back his laugh.

“Oh dear, this is a mess… Hi!” Jinyoung smiles brightly at the newcomers, his hands falling from Jaebum’s arm as the taller possible-Mark looks at them curiously.

“Jinyoung, right?” He asks, and his voice is a little too loud for Jaebum’s taste, so he is kind of celebrating inside that the so far quiet one seems to be the friend. Jaebum smiles at him and receives a shy one in return, his eyes focusing on the floor.

“I'm Minhyuk,” taller, and apparently, not Mark says. Their surprised faces are probably not very concealed, as both men open funny smiles at them.

Jinyoung recovers fast, extending his hand to Minhyuk with ease, and then turning to the other one.

“So you are Mark?” He says offering him a soft smile, while Minhyuk shakes Jaebum’s hand and introduces himself.

Minhyuk is good looking, he can't deny that, but it’s also hard not to be aware of the disappointment inside of him, realizing that he is a lot more attracted to his best friend’s date.

“Yeah, sorry,” Mark giggles and scratches the back of his neck, his biceps showing as the sleeve of his shirt rides up. “Guess he is just more sociable than I am.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

“So who’s your friend?” Mark looks at Jaebum with his lips closed in a thin line and eyes squinted. Jaebum almost jumps at the sudden attention on him, as he was still staring at the way Mark’s muscles had moved when he dropped his arm near his body again, and the sound of his small giggles was still playing on his head.

“I’m Jaebum,” he waves somewhat awkwardly, but before he can do anything else to fix it, Minhyuk makes himself heard again.

“A table just freed by the deck, can we move this conversation there? I was dying to get a spot with a city view.”

Jinyoung’s eyes go wide for a second and then he looks at Jaebum with a funny smile, and if Jaebum didn't know his best friend enough, he’d say Jinyoung was taking interest on Minhyuk over Mark at first sight, but Jinyoung was never good with spontaneity, so it probably just means he actually found it funny. Probably.

“You guys left your beers at the bar, didn't you?” Jinyoung asks, as they are settled and he is looking at the variety of craft beers the bar offers.

“Oh, we didn't order them! Some guy sent it to us after staring at Mark’s ass for five minutes,” Minhyuk says bringing all of them to laugh, and Mark to blush, his whole face turning red in a second. “They tasted terribly anyway, we can order new and good ones for everyone now that you are here.”

“Think I’m gonna go for wine, if you guys don’t mind,” Jinyoung says a little hesitantly, his bottom lip pouting as he looks across the table at Mark and Minhyuk, the first sighing as the second laughs loudly, clapping his hands excitedly. “Did we miss something?”

“I wanted to get wine because I’m not a fan of beer and Mark said I was a pretentious fuck,” he says making air quotes with his hands and Mark elbows him.

“Well, now you’ve enabled him. There is no stopping. Ever again.”

Jaebum snorts loudly and Mark’s eyes light up looking at him, a pleased smile taking over his face. He feels a sudden rush of heat coming up his neck and he looks down at the menu, trying not to raise his head again while Mark’s curious eyes are still on him.

“We can be pretentious together and leave them to drink their disgusting beer,” Jinyoung opens the wine list and leans against it, so he and Minhyuk can look together.

“It’s not like craft beer isn’t pretentious anyway,” Minhyuk shrugs and gets Jaebum’s attention by touching his arm lightly and then winks at him, who closes his eyes for a second with a small laugh.

He looks between them, as Mark swears under his breath and proceeds to tell Minhyuk he is never taking him anywhere again, their exchange bringing a bubbly laugh to his lips. He closes the menu without looking down, having made his choice, and crosses his arms over the table in front of his body, leaning a little against it.

“Sorry to ask, but are you guys brothers?” He says before he can stop himself. Jinyoung laughs beside him, but his eyes focus on them expectantly.

“Twins, actually,” Mark says instantly and both Jinyoung and Jaebum’s mouth silent _ohs,_ no actual sound coming from their lips. “Minhyuk is four minutes older, but he is mental age is four years younger. I don’t know what went wrong.”

“Oh fuck off,” it’s Minhyuk’s turn to elbow Mark and they both share a laugh, eyes locking for a brief second before turning their attentions back to Jaebum.

“That’s pretty cool, I’m an only child and I love it, but I guess I wouldn’t hate having a twin,” he says thoughtfully, his tone a bit airy.

Minhyuk is the first to break out laughing, followed by Mark who closes his eyes and throws his head back, a boyish, shrieky giggle coming out of him.

“You are fucking with us, right?” Jaebum squints his eyes at Mark, lips pressed together in a pout.

Mark stares back at him, his lips shaky with held back laughter, his eyes full of mischief as he opens his mouth and says firmer than anything he had said so far, “Not yet.”

…

Jaebum walks back from the bathroom when he spots the three other laughing, their drinks waiting for them on the table. Mark says something to Minhyuk, and it makes Jinyoung clasp both hands in front of his mouth, his eyes closing with laughter. He swallows dryly, halting and taking a second to remind himself that he is there to support Jinyoung on his date, not the other way around, even if his stomach starts acting weirdly with the delicate way Mark removes his fringe from his eyes. It doesn’t do much, really, the strands falling back almost all the way instantly, but it seems to be enough for Mark to join his hands in front of his body, using the table for support and not care about it again.

As he walks closer, Jaebum can vaguely make out, amidst all the other voices and music playing, Mark asking Minhyuk if whatever he just said was a lie or not, his smug smile showing as he stares at him.

“Go away, Mark” Minhyuk says firm and loudly after a beat, but his lips curl in a teasing smile.

“Okay bye,” Mark sing-songs back at him, putting his tongue out in a childish move.

“Frozen?” He asks with an eyebrow raise, pulling his chair and retaking his seat.

There is a split of a second where they all stare at him, clearly just noticing his presence now before Mark says an excited _yes_ , way more than Jaebum would expect from an adult man. He can’t lie though and say he didn’t find it adorable the way Mark’s smile spreads and his entire face light up a simply because Jaebum recognizes the movie line.

“Do you like it too?”

Before Jaebum can answer, Jinyoung nods. He takes a sip of his drink, his mouth going weirdly dry as the attention changes focus to Jinyoung talking about how Frozen’s been a must in their Disney marathons since it came out.

“Personally I prefer Tangled, but Frozen is pretty cool too…” Jaebum adds, voice quiet and watching Mark over the rim of his glass.

Both Mark and Minhyuk turn their heads to him, Mark looking up and Minhyuk, in turn, shifting his eyes from Jinyoung, surprise showing before Minhyuk breaks into a grin that Jaebum can only describe as devilish.

“Really?” He asks, his eyes traveling between Jaebum and Mark. “It’s funny because it’s Mark’s favorite as well.”

“Oh!”

So they launch into a full length conversation about Disney movies, Mark passionately talking about his favorite songs and performances from recent movies and it’s clear how much he loves music, with the way his voice gets increasingly louder and hands unquiet as he explains how he thinks the soundtrack is even more important than a strong plot, sometimes, that a story told a million times before like Rapunzel gets a whole new meaning and it’s all because of music.

Jaebum is unsure of how long they stay this way, focused on each other and without so much sparing a side glance, his cheeks hurting from smiling the whole time, but when he tries to drink his beer again and notices the empty cup, it feels like a lot of time has passed.

Another indication of it is the fact that neither Jinyoung or Minhyuk are sitting there anymore, both leaving their seats at the same time not long ago, but since they never said anything, Jaebum didn’t ask. And if a part of him purposefully ignored it, in favor of staring at the way Mark’s lips were pressed around the rim of his cup, the other part, the sane one, chooses to pretend that’s not what he did.

“Do you want another one?” He asks Mark, his hands raising the empty glass. Mark nods shyly and Jaebum excuses himself to go to the bar. He spots Jinyoung and Minhyuk in one of the corners of the deck, and they seem to be having fun, both smiling with their bodies half turned to the city view and he tries to tell himself that it’s okay, that these sort of things happen and it’s not like Mark and Jinyoung were married or anything anyway.

Coming back, he ends up startling Mark a little as he sits down on the same side of the table now. He sets both glasses down and Mark looks up from his phone, eyes wide before he breaks out a small giggle.

“Beauty and The Beast,” Mark says, locking and pocketing his phone once again. He nods a thank you when he gets his beer, promptly taking a sip. “Sorry to go back to it, but that’s the movie I was forgetting that even though is nothing new, unlike Enchanted, became a hit because of the amazing soundtrack.”

“The 1996 or the new one with Emma Watson?” Jaebum asks and Mark whispers an excited _both_. “You have a Menken obsession, I think, but I can’t disagree.”

“How do you know they are both Menken… Wait, do you also work with music or are you holding back a whole Disney fanboy side?”

Jaebum closes his eyes for a second, fighting back a bubbly laugh and shakes his head.

“I am a Disney fanboy, but I know Menken because I also compose and he is brilliant, though he is no Zimmer or Gregson-Williams.”

“Are you really? Jinyoung didn’t say anything!” His tone is exasperated, as if Jinyoung had any obligation of mentioning such thing and it was an affront not to.

“That’s because you were supposed to be his date, Mark.”

“Well, about that…” Mark bites his lips and looks around in the crowd, eyes scanning the place for the other two.

“I’ve been debating in my head whether I should feel bad or not, but can’t come to a conclusion,” he says, his tone light. He doesn’t think Jinyoung will be mad at him, not while he and Minhyuk are still getting along anyway.

“If you’re going to feel bad and apologize for having fun with me, we are gonna have problems here,” Mark raises his eyebrows threateningly at Jaebum, his lips a thin line and eyes daring, which makes Jaebum explode in laughter, bringing Mark with him not long after.

When he finally stops laughing, he realizes they are even closer than before, unsure of how that happened. Mark’s knees are brushing against his every now and then, and he presses his lips against each other not to smile at the touch.

“Promise you I’m not regretting it.”

...

“I just can't believe you thought this would be a good idea, not even as drunk as you seemed to be,” Jaebum says with an easy smile, his lips tightening around the glass he is holding up.

As he puts his drink down once again, his eyes wander from Mark to the view in front of them, Los Angeles still in full force despite the clock nearing one in the morning. Mark’s laugh brings Jaebum’s attention back to him, his head shaking.

“One thing you have to know about our college experience is that as soon as Minhyuk and I moved in together that semester, we agreed that if it sounded fun, we would do it and off limits were only the illegal things,” he says leaning forward a little to give space to some passerby, his right hand brushing against Jaebum’s arm in the process.

Jaebum sucks in a deep breath with the touch, the static electricity that emanates from their joined body parts making Mark jump back a little, losing some of his balance.

He holds to the table and Jaebum automatically reaches out to him, steadying Mark by the waist. They stare at each other for a second before breaking into a laughing fit, and he isn't even sure what they are laughing about. Maybe because of the near fall, or perhaps it’s just the alcohol that has probably replaced half of their blood by now, but Jaebum feels even warmer and his face is burning when he finally stops laughing and drops his hands from where they were still holding Mark close.

Mark stares at him for a beat, with an unreadable look and lips pressed against each other, before breaking out a grin.

“See? I get drunk and start losing control of my body parts, just sometimes the brain also goes with the rest.”

“I mean, your fall was pretty amusing,” Jaebum says, and is promptly interrupted by Mark with a cry of _almost fall._ He rolls his eyes and nods “But I don't think it tops Minhyuk stuck at the top of a giant mushroom shaped fountain claiming to be the Mushroom King.”

“Will anything ever? It was totally worth the $20 I paid him to do it and being kicked out,” he giggles between his words, his eyes getting smaller as his smile grows bigger.

…

Their conversation is a mess, Jaebum realizes after Mark answers a completely different thing to a question for the third time. He has no idea what they are even talking about now, or if anything made sense after the fifth beer, but he knows it's a mess.

It’s a fun one, he can't deny that, as he watches Mark giggling and throwing his head back again when Jaebum asks him what he is talking about.

“I don't know,” he pouts childishly and takes another sip of his beer. “I thought you were talking about photography.”

“I'm pretty sure that was three topics ago,” and Mark gives him a bright smile, small chuckles still coming under his breath and he shrugs, admitting defeat.

“What were you talking about then?”

Jaebum takes too long to answer the question, his eyebrows furrowing and lips pressed together strongly as he thinks about it, and it sends Mark in another laughing fit. He is sure the girls one table over either think they are insane, or that Jaebum is the funniest person alive, with the way they keep glancing every time Mark gets loud

“I think I said I'd love to explore South America sometime in the future, so your photography talk wasn't all that off…”

And with the word explore reaching his ears and bringing a new spark to his eyes, Mark is set off again, like a little bomb ticking and just waiting for the right moment to explode, but unlike real bombs that would only cause destruction, when Mark goes off is a thing of beauty.

He is mostly a calm presence, but given the right opportunity, he will start talking and go off on tangents about whatever subject he’s into. Words tumble out in rapid fire and his passion leaves his audience captivated.  

Mark’s words were as carefree as his posture and smile, everything about him coming together unhurried and relaxed, like he was just happy to do whatever, just happy to be there, living. The way his easy smile never leaves his face, even as he is speaking. Or how his eyes get so small, the skin on the side crinkling sweetly, his mouth hanging open and making him look even younger than he is, with his head thrown back and face heating up and turning red when he is laughing at something that isn’t as funny as he makes it seem _._

To say Jaebum is fascinated is an understatement, but he has no better form to describe the light obsession he’s acquired within the night, the pleasure he’s taking in observing the way Mark carries himself.

…

There is something inside of Jaebum that feels empty somehow, that makes it feel like he left something important unfinished. In a way, he knows it’s silly and that Mark is likely sleeping now, or having breakfast and definitely not thinking about the wonderful night they had. But something tiny inside of him disagrees and that something is the reason his eyes won't stay closed, even though he is ridiculously tired.

That something is Mark’s laugh echoing inside his head. Flashes of his smile, and the way his eyes would sparkle with mischief when he said something witty, or the slight blush creeping up his cheeks when he got embarrassed about a bad joke he made, even if he would laugh it off.

His focused expression, as if he would like to pay attention to every single word that came out of Jaebum’s mouth, when Jaebum was telling him something. The questions he’d asked, the genuine interest he took on small details and his pure delight whenever they'd find another thing in common. Those things wouldn't allow Jaebum to fall asleep, so he tosses and turns and buried his head deep into his pillow until he needs to come up for air once again.

Nora makes a small sound, moving slowly from his feet to the empty spot near his pillow, looking at him expectantly.

“Why do I care so much that I just said goodbye to him? It’s not the first time I say goodbye to some random guy I've met and flirted with, but I never cared,” he says pulling Nora near, his fingers moving up and down on the spot between the cat’s eyes where it likes to be scratched. Nora closes her eyes and purrs softly and he laughs. “At least you are happy, right? You don't have to worry about weird feelings, or about how this guy never cared that you were drunk and spilling your guts or…”

Jaebum stops halfway his sentence, dropping his hands from the cat that looks up to him confused, coming closer and butting her head against his arm.

“I think I fucked up,” he tells Nora, but the cat doesn't move much. She meows at him, bored at his nonsensical talks and starts moving its head sideways as if asking to be petted again, which he does once and then he apologizes before getting up, promising he would be back.

He opens his door and takes a deep breath, calling out Jinyoung’s name loudly before even stepping out on the hallway. When he gets no answer, he sighs, both hands sliding into his hair and he tries again, this time closer to the door.

Jaebum knows it should be at least weird to go ask Jinyoung for help now, but somehow his blurry mind filled with Mark’s smile and regret throw all his senses to the air and he knocks on the door.

“Jinyoungie, please, I think I made a mistake,” his taps his feet on the floor impatiently, his whole body an unquiet mess as he waits for the door to open now that he hears movement inside the room. “Jinyoungie, I need advice because I think I fucked up badly… You are not Jinyoung.” He accuses, surprised as the door opens to reveal Minhyuk half naked.

Jaebum looks up and down his body, the only thing covering him being one of Jinyoung’s dark blue sheets and his face contorts in both confusion and disgust.

“No, I'm not,” Minhyuk states, his voice deep with sleep. He moves to the side, giving Jaebum’s eyes room to roam inside and spot Jinyoung still in bed, also seemingly only covered by his duvet while lazily hugging one of his pillows.

“Well, anyway,” Jaebum says walking past Minhyuk while he rolls his eyes and sighs. “I think I made a mistake and I need help.”

He throws himself at the end of the bed, legs hanging out and head falling on Jinyoung’s feet, without even caring that the bed was probably very unsanitary at that point.

“If the help requires me to move, the answer is no,” Jinyoung grunts and kicks Jaebum’s head slightly. “How did you scare Mark off? Is it irreparable or can his best friend help?”

“First I didn't scare him off!” Jaebum almost screams, his face going from upset to an angry pout in a second.

“Surely you didn't, so what did you do then?” Jinyoung’s tone is both dismissive and mocking, making Jaebum punch throw his arms up and try to hit him.

“Actually, are you not mad about that? I'm such an ass, I didn't even think...” he starts babbling and he is sure he can hear Minhyuk laughing behind them, but he doesn't move nor opens his eyes to confirm.

“I take you didn’t hear any of the noises coming from my room if you are still questioning that…”

Jaebum feels his cheeks heating up at the same time his jaw drops and he sits down, outrage showing on his face. He opens his palm in a stop sign and sticks his hand forward at Jinyoung.

“Gross!” Jaebum cries and Jinyoung laughs loudly, sitting up and pulling Jaebum against his body. “I never asked, I don’t wanna know. Next time I won't try to apologize if that’s how you repay me.”

“It was a joke, darling, but no I'm not mad,” Jinyoung starts playing with his hair and Jaebum closes his eyes, leaning into the touch. “Now tell me, how did you fuck up?”

“You know how I always start talking about my issues, or the world’s issues, really, and it all gets so deep and depressive I scare people off?” He asks and Jinyoung hums in confirmation, his fingers working slowly on Jaebum’s scalp. “So I was talking to Nora just now about it…”

“Sorry to interrupt, but who’s Nora?” Minhyuk asks and Jaebum isn't sure when it happened, but he is sitting on the floor by the bed, staring up at them.

“My best friend.”

“The cat.”

Minhyuk snorts at the exasperated tone coming from Jinyoung, or at least Jaebum wants to think so because he doesn't care for people laughing at his cat at all, but he only sighs and continues.

“I was talking to her and I realized that I was having so much fun that my problems, or anybody’s really, never even made my mind, let alone the conversation.”

There is a silence that follows, and it makes Jaebum antsy, his breath getting heavier as he looks up to Jinyoung with wide eyes, waiting for something.

“Oh! Are you done? I thought there was more.”

“No.”

Jinyoung smiles at him confusedly, and looks at Minhyuk before asking Jaebum what the problem is really, if he had fun.

“The problem is that we said goodbye and went separate ways,” he tries to say firmly, but his voice comes low in volume but higher than usual in pitch, the whiny sounds escaping his pouting lips. “He was the first person in a million years who made me feel comfortable enough that the world seemed fun instead of sad and erratic and I just let him go!”

It’s pathetic really, to think that he, at the height of his 25 years of life, is cuddling his half naked best friend and distressingly complaining about losing his chances with the best friend of the equally half naked stranger sitting on the floor. Both looking at him pityingly.

“Jaebum, look at me,” Jinyoung’s voice is motherly, like he is talking to his son instead of his year older friend. “That is not a problem at all. I can give you his number and you can fix this now, if you want.”

“But what if he doesn’t want to see me again?”

“You are being dramatic,” he shrinks himself even smaller in bed and Jinyoung laughs quietly at him.

He is about to argue that no he is’t, that his concerns are completely valid and it’s a normal thing to worry when you meet someone nice, and Jinyoung should know, since he was the one desperate for a boyfriend first anyway, but opts not to, because deep down he knows he is the one to blame and it’s not fair to attack who’s trying to help. Instead, he buries his head deeper against Jinyoung and lets out a breathy whine.

“Mark is meeting us downtown in two hours,” Minhyuk interrupts their conversation and adds easily, as if they all talked and agreed to that. Jaebum raises his head instantly, looking at Minhyuk’s relaxed smile that fits the rest of his attitude as he drops his phone on the nightstand and hugs a pillow closer, closing his eyes again. “Let me know when you wanna get ready and I’d love if you offered me coffee or directed me to the nearest Starbucks before we go.”

“Two hours?” Jinyoung asks, his eyebrow shooting up. “Why so long?”

“He said he is still in bed and as cute as Jaebum is, the only man who could make him get up now is still David Beckham.”

“Beckham, really?” Jaebum’s mouth hangs open, his eyes focused on Minhyuk’s in shock and his tone offended. “And I'm not cute.”

Both Jinyoung and Minhyuk stare back at him, their faces exact copies of each other with amused smirks.

“You are literally pouting,” Jinyoung points out easily, his lips pressed against each other to stop himself from laughing. “You have no leg to stand on the handsome territory, if that's what you are implying, when you are acting like a baby.”

Jaebum is ready to fight back, but opts not to, simply getting up while muttering he is gonna make breakfast for them and leaves the room to the sound of the other two laughing.

The following hour and a half, before they leave, pass in slow motion and Jaebum does his best to distract himself, playing with Nora and taking his time to shower and get ready, and they still leave too early when he starts bothering Jinyoung enough for him to snap.

They pile in the backseat of a cab, Jinyoung tells the driver they are going to Malibu and promptly engages in a conversation with Minhyuk, but Jaebum isn’t paying much attention. Instead, he stares out the window, trying to ignore his thoughts for a little longer. It’s only when they are stopping in a parking lot by the beach that he raises his head, questioning Jinyoung about it.

“We need a relaxing day and I feel like going to the beach,” Minhyuk says matter-of-factly, paying the cab driver before Jinyoung and Jaebum can so much as open their wallets.

Jaebum snorts, leaving the car and sliding his sunglasses down to his eyes, he drags a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath, the ocean air making him feel a little lighter. He won’t admit to them that it was a great idea, but he now wants more than anything to dig his toes into the sand and watch the waves quietly.

“Just avoid going on a long walk hand in hand, Jinyoung is that type of guy and will drag you along before you notice it,”

His grin gets wider when Jinyoung punches his shoulder in response, much for Minhyuk’s amusement, as he is still laughing while Jaebum holds his left shoulder with a fake pained expression.

“If he wants to do that, I’m in,” he says smiling at Jinyoung, as they start walking. “I’m that whole _I love dogs, movies, deep conversations and long walks on the beach_ cliche of dating sites.”

“I should’ve waited to match you instead of Mark on Tinder,” Jinyoung jokes and Jaebum almost trips on his own feet, not expecting Jinyoung to joke about that this way. But then again, he seemed to be the only one stressing about it too, while everyone else only found the situation funny and then forgot about it.

“If we are being honest here, I was the one who liked you on Mark’s profile and told him to ask you out.”

Jaebum’s eyebrows shoot up and he looks at Minhyuk with squinty eyes, “By any chance did you orchestrate this? You stealing Jinyoung and praying Mark would get along with the friend?”

Minhyuk’s chuckles and shakes his head no, “You are giving my evil planning skills too much credit here, dude,” he says and takes the beer Jinyoung hands him.

“Planned or not planned, it worked out just fine, didn’t it?” Jinyoung says suggestively and shoves a beer to Jaebum, who just takes it straight to his mouth, drinking a third of it in one go.

“We’ll see.”

...

Turns out Jinyoung and Minhyuk are in fact going for a walk, both discarding their shoes and wishing Jaebum good luck, saying Mark should be there at any minute. The beach isn’t full and Minhyuk texts Mark a picture of their spot, before walking away closer to the water and down the shore.

He sits down alone staring at the sea, his hands sweating despite the wind that blows and breaks the usual heat, and trying not to think too hard about what could happen if Mark realizes he doesn't want to get to know more of him. Or worse, if he realizes that his fascination with Mark was a one time thing, that he idealized him in a way that he isn't and getting to know more of him would be a disappointment. God knows it wouldn't be the first time, so he takes another sip of his beer and toys with the sand in front of his body, cringing at himself after a deep sigh.  
  
He feels someone sitting next to him in silence and when he looks up, Jaebum spots Mark to his left side, both opening smiles when their eyes lock. Mark's hair is messy because of the wind, strands pointing to every possible direction and some falling to his sunglasses covered eyes, and it makes him want to touch it, fix it for him, but he refrains, pressing both hands strongly against the bottle instead.

They sit in silence for what it feels like an eternity, Jaebum counting the breaths he takes and biting his lips, unsure of what to say or do. It’s almost a relief when Mark breaks the silence, his voice still a little raspy probably from sleep, making Jaebum shiver.

"So I heard you were hiding some parts of yourself last night," he says and there is a strong teasing tone to match his bright smile, his eyes sparkling.  
  
Jaebum feels his cheeks heating up and he knows they must be a strong shade of red by now, but he still laughs under his breath, his eyes shooting down to stare at his own hands.  
  
"I wasn't hiding," he mumbles and Mark lets out a low giggle. "I just accidentally kept them inside hence me making a fool of myself this morning."  
  
"Minhyuk said it was cute."  
  
"I’m glad he was amused." His voice as bitter as the beer he’s drinking.  
  
"What if I want to see those parts then?" Mark turns his body to Jaebum, fully facing his side now. His left foot goes a little forward, poking Jaebum's own feet lightly. "How should I _accidentally_ get them out?"  
  
"A lot more of these and we can start talking," Jaebum looks up at him and raises his bottle, his eyes closing as he chuckles.  
  
"That can be arranged."

It's when they start talking that Jaebum realizes that he doesn't need alcohol, or needs to worry that Mark will run from him, scared, if he opens up. With the way his smile never falters, how he hums and nods in all the right times and curiously ask questions, happy to learn just as he is to share, for once Jaebum thinks he might get it right.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading.
> 
> Hit me up on twitter if you wanna [twitter](twitter.com/markbumcentral)


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